4 hurt as taxi and car collide in front of Allentown hospital

On Allentown's Hamilton Street, a car battery hangs out of a taxi cab… (Frank Warner, The Morning…)

October 05, 2012|By Frank Warner, Of The Morning Call

Four people were injured in west Allentown on Thursday night when a taxi cab collided head-on with a car, which then crashed into a parked car in front of St. Luke's Hospital.

The Quick Service cab and car crashed at 9:45 p.m. at 18th and Hamilton streets. The cabdriver and the second driver were hurt, as were two car passengers, who were temporarily trapped in the crumpled vehicle.

Allison Guardiano, 19, of Whitehall Township was going west on Hamilton Street when she attempted to make a left turn onto 18th Street but drove into the taxi's path, Assistant Chief Joseph Hanna said.

Cabdriver Donald Seidel was eastbound on Hamilton, going uphill, when he collided with Guardiano, Hanna said. Her car then hit the parked car.

All four were taken into St. Luke's with minor to moderate injuries, Hanna said.

He said no one has been charged yet, but it appears Guardiano is looking at a left-turn violation.

Residents in the area described the commotion Thursday night.

"It was like screeching and a big boom," said Aimee Werley, 13, who lives across Hamilton Street from the hospital.

Werley ran outside and dialed 911 for help. Then she went into the hospital to report the injuries.

"The cabdriver had cuts on his face," she said. "He was crying. He was so upset." The driver's-side window of the taxi shattered in the crash.

The young woman driving the car also had minor injuries, Werley said. But Guardiano's two passengers, a girl and a young man, appeared to have been shaken up worse.